Mirror, Mirror
by The Third Biker Scholar
Summary: Just how much do appearances really matter to Vinnie? When an experiment of Karbunkle's changes Charlene, Vincent finds out. Redone! Thanks, Cutegenius!
1. Broken Mirror

I always wondered what would happen if Charley was a Mouse. This is my idea of the answer.

Disclaimer: I do not own any Martains, bikes, or bikers. Dammit.

Since none of the episodes really reference each other for a timeline, I figured I'd cover my bases. This story takes place a few months after the episodes "Stalkers", and "Back to Mars, Parts 1, 2, and 3" of the second season, and "Caveat Mentor" from season 3.

Mirror, Mirror

The goon squad was getting smarter. This time, they knocked Charley out before they dragged her out of the garage, and even managed to find and destroy the locater beacon the Bikers had hidden in her necklace. Too bad for them that the Mice went to visit her just twenty minutes after they had kidnapped her, or it would have been hours before the Martians found out.

But for Charlene Davidson, it was twenty minutes too late. Karbunkle had already done his job.

_Limburger Tower, Karbunkle's lab_

"Finally, that meddlesome little mechanic will be out of our hair for good!" The doctor muttered happily as he readied the syringe-gun. "Fred! Bring me that vial with the green label! Oh, this will be so much fun to watch," the man went on dreamily. "Those wretched rodents will have no choice but to kill her. They wouldn't want to watch her 'suffer', haha!"

The chipper mutant waddled over to obey his master, a tentacle whipping out to pull the vial from the cooler it sat in. But some of his slime made it slippery, and it crashed open on the ground. Frantically looking over his shoulder with one of his three eyes, the fat creature saw the doctor was too distracted to notice the noise. It blew a sigh of relief even as it stepped on the broken glass and giggled happily at the pain. The label was still in one piece, so he quickly switched it out with a vial with a bright red label. Surely something red meant something dangerous, right? The good doctor would still be happy with the turnout. Fred toddled over to the man, handing him the vial.

The mad scientist was literally squirming with glee as he pulled out the vial of recombiant DNA. This serum could combine the DNA it held with any other genetic being, creating a deadly hybrid. Of course it would be unstable, and most likely break down into a pool of biologic sludge in a matter of days, but who wanted a hybrid around for longer than that anyway? Especially one created from Venusian Dragon Vine, a rare carnivorous plant that liked its prey big and meaty.

He finished the injection, cackling with amusement, just as the Biker Mice roared in. Karbunkle cleared out quickly, not wanting to get caught and miss the potential show the Mice would have for him later. The heroes quickly tore the restraints off Charley and got out of there. As he felt the tell-tale rumbles of the building about to go down, the scientist stepped into his private transporter and sent himself away. He'd be back in a few hours to enjoy the entertainment.

* * *

_The Last Chance Garage, living room_

"What's wrong with her?" Vinnie said worriedly, the fifth time in less than an hour. He was pacing the floor of the living room where Charlene now lay unconscious. The Mice had wasted no time getting her to safety, but now they had a much bigger problem.

"Don't know, bro," Throttle said, his tail twisting in agitation. "But Charley-girl's strong, you know that."

"You gotta have some faith, bro," Modo said, pulling the wet cloth from her brow and rewetting it with cold water. She'd been out since they'd found her strapped down to the examination table, and now she had a fever. A quickly rising fever that was worrying all of them. Karbunkle had helped decimate the Martian Mouse population with biological weapons that had taken the most brilliant minds of Mars to cure. What chance did Charley have if this was something the crazy doctor had made with only Earth medicine to help her?

A whimper of pain drew their attention back to the human girl. She tossed and turned on the old blue couch, tears starting to come from her eyes. Whimpers turned to soft cries of pain. "Can't we do something?" Vinnie asked, unconsciously rubbing his hand down her back, soothing the girl slightly.

"I'll get the painkillers," Modo said, hurrying to the bathroom of the garage. "Throttle, help me carry this." The tan mouse followed his bro, taking down the IV line that Charley had bought from the hospital storehouse and hooking it up to her arm like she had showed them. Modo brought down a few blankets and a bottle of pain pills that had been used when he and Vinnie had a broken arm and leg. He crushed the pills into some water and helped the still unconscious girl to drink it down. The cries stopped, but something even worse happened.

Blood started coming from her nose and ears, a steady stream of red that nearly panicked Vinnie beyond coherency. When the red stuff replaced the tears from her eyes, all of them were ready to panic.

"We kill him, right?" Vinnie said in a shaking voice as he wiped up the blood from her face.

"Who, Karbunkle?" Modo asked as he focused on cleaning the blood out of her ears, the gears of his cybernetic arm squeaking as they tensed at his stress.

"Yup. We find him, string him up, make him fix her, and then we kill him," the white mouse explained, his ears flat against his head in worry.

"Fine by me," Throttle said as he replaced the water they were wiping her down with. He handed Vinnie a pack of ice cubes, "For her face. It might help the bleeding."

"Thanks, bro." He pressed it lightly to her face, the girl turning into the soothing cold. The bleeding slowly stopped a few minutes later, and to their infinite relief, her eyes blinked open. "Vi...Vinnie?"

"Yeah, sweetheart, I'm here," the relieved mouse said softly. "How you feelin'?"

"Like death warmed over," she said slowly, wincing as she tried to smile at him. It hurt to move anything in her face. You knew it was bad when it actually hurt to blink! It felt like her cheekbones were on fire, her teeth ached, and most of her jaw was pounding like she'd been kicked in the mouth. "What happened? I remember the goon squad busting in and then the lights went out."

The trio glanced at each other uneasily, then Throttle spoke. "We found you knocked out in Karbunkle's lab. We didn't find him, so we thought he hadn't had a chance to get you with anything and got you out of there."

A look of fear crossed her face and Vinnie slipped his hand in hers, squeezing tight. "But he did something, didn't he?" she asked quietly.

"We don't know what," Throttle said in sad confirmation. "But we'll find him and drag some answers out of him, we promise, Charley."

"I know you will." She gingerly reached up and touched her face. "Did somebody hit me? My whole face feels like it got rearranged"-she simply froze in place as she felt the bones of her face, only one thought making it across her brain. _That's not supposed to be there_. Vinnie growled that he would personally see to it that anyone that touched her regretted it, but she didn't hear him. Charley burst into movement, flinging herself off the couch, rushing past Vinnie and Modo and running up the stairs to the bathroom.

The mice were after her like a shot, calling for her. They saw the bathroom door slam shut, her faint voice calling that she was fine. Well, that's what she meant to say. Her voice had died on her the moment she saw her reflection. Something was wrong, very wrong, with her face. He cheekbones looked lower, her nose was bigger, her jaw longer! It looked like her lower face was growing out! What was going on? But that quickly became the least of her worries.

A red rash began to quickly spread across her skin, alternating between burning like fire and itching like mad. She nearly scratched her arms and waist bloody before she went to the shower, cranking up the cold water. It felt like heaven over her skin, and she stripped off her jeans and shirt as more of her body was affected by the rash. Good god, even her ears itched! It felt like it went on for hours, and it may have. Only her calls of reassurance to her bros every few minutes stopped them from breaking down the door.

Finally the burning and itching stopped, and she wearily closed her eyes, fatigue swamping her body. Her skin felt strange, the water clinging to her body almost. She could feel it rolling down her body like never before, even the sound of the water bouncing off the tiles echoing louder than she remembered. It was actually pretty soothing. Now if she could just get the headache from Hell to stop, she'd be fine. God, it felt like her head was trying to split open. First her face feels like a broken jigsaw puzzle, now her skull felt like it was trying to drill holes in itself.

The girl tilted her head down to soak the top of her head and screamed! "Holy mother of-!"

"You okay, Charley?" Modo called in worry.

"Fine! Just-my god, that water is cold!" she said breathlessly, stepping out of the shower at last. She had never been that sensitive to cold water on top of her head before. But then the real temperature of the water hit her system, sudden shivers racking her frame. "What is going on?" she moaned quietly as she cradled her aching head. Her voice echoed weirdly in her ears. A blind reach had the medicine cabinet above the sink opened, and she pulled out a bottle of regular pain pills. She took six at once, her body still hurting like nothing she had known before, not even the last time she had wrecked her bike. She felt another wave of exhaustion hit, and sank down to sit on the rim of the tub. What had Karbunkle done to her?

Charley reached up to push back the hair that had fallen over her eyes and felt something very strange. Something, two somethings, had stopped her fingers from combing through the hair at the top of her head. Two somethings that had felt her fingers, and she suddenly realized that she could feel her hair brushing against those two somethings. Her legs shook as she slowly stood up from the edge of the tub and went to the mirror. Her jaw dropped at the sight she saw there. The girl backed away in denial. "No. Oh god, no, this can't be happening," she whispered in shock.

The Martians were camped right outside the door, ready to bust in if they were needed. Only her reassurances that she was still okay had them sitting with anything like calm. Except Vinnie. He'd been constantly pacing, nearly punching the door out to get to her if Modo hadn't stopped him. "You have to calm down, bro. You ain't gonna do her any good if you're wound so tight you explode."

"That freak did something to her! She could be dying in there! How are we supposed to help her?" The white mouse bit out through clenched teeth. There was nothing he hated more than being useless.

"As soon as we get things settled here, we go after Karbunkle," Throttle said. "We'll make him cure her, or he finds out what happens when you mess with a biker's bros."

"Sister, in her case," Modo said quietly.

Throttle twitched as his sensitive ears caught something. She had said something, but too low for him to hear over the sound of the running shower. He heard everything else after that, though. And he wished to god he hadn't.

It would haunt his dreams for years to come.


	2. Reflection's Ripples

Its not easy changing into something else, no matter how cartoons put it.

And I would like to point out, that in the original series, the BMFM have been away from Mars for at least three years by the time they crash-land on Earth. That means that it has been years since they've seen a female of their own species, not counting Carbine since that was just business (when she came to Earth in 'Seeds of Victory,' season 2), or when they went home and were immediately thrown in prison, ('Back to Mars, Parts 1, 2, 3'). That's enough to make any man homesick for a girl, don't you think?

Chapter 2

Charley couldn't take her eyes away from her reflection. "This-this can't be real...what the hell did he do to me?" she asked in stunned disbelief. Her hand went out to touch the mirror, but suddenly her lower body began to spasm. Her muscles jerked in quick motions, making her cry out in surprise. And then the pain hit.

It was like her spine was trying to tear itself out! She screamed as her body tried to bend itself in half the wrong way, falling to the floor. In a way, her initial thoughts weren't wrong. Her lower spine, the part normally called the tailbone, was breaking. Humans had evolved from creatures that had once had prehensile tails. But now, millions of years later, the parts of the tail they still retain fuse together and curl inward, forming one of the strongest bones of the human body.

And Charlene Davidson's was now breaking apart. The bones were reshaping, forming the same kind of joints as her spine. But that wasn't the only set of bones involved. Her pelvic bones were pulling apart, like they did when a woman was in labor. Her hips were pulling out of alignment, muscle rearranging, ligaments snapping, tearing, stretching out. Her lower spine now went out instead of in. It had to, to support the weight of her new limb.

Muscle and fat tissue all over her body were being cannibalized, drastically reducing her weight in some areas as her body burned it all for fuel. New nerves and tendons grew, muscles forming and attatching to new bone, her spinal cord extending out and down to control her new body part. All of this happened in a matter of seconds. And she couldn't stop screaming-

That terrible sound of fear and pain had been the limit, the mice tearing down the door. Too much, terrifyingly too much, like the sounds of the Plutarkian prison camp they had escaped from so long ago. "Charley!" Vinnie cried, punching his fist through the door and tearing it off its hinges. The trio pushed through the door, and suddenly stopped still, shocked at what they found.

She was naked, nearly bent in half around her back. Cream-colored fur covered her body, delicate ears rising from the sides of her head. Her muzzle, no human nose, came further off her face, the nose a deep black over white buck teeth. Rose red antennae parted the chocolate brown hair that now flowed past her shoulders to pool on the ground. A _**Martian Mouse **_was screaming in pain on the floor-

Modo couldn't help his red blush as he ran to help, pulling her upright with some effort. "Help me! She's seizing! If we don't hold her down she could break her back!" The other two scrambled to help him hold the girl to the floor. Throttle went for her legs, his tail catching one and tying it to the other, using his weight to keep her still. Vincent almost had to sit on her waist, cringing at every sob and cry she made.

Finally, finally her body relaxed, her sobs quieting as the last phase ended. Modo very slowly took his hands from her shoulders, ready to catch her the moment her body tensed, but nothing happened. They pulled back from her, a bright red Vincent grabbing a towel off the rack and draping it over her.

She couldn't move, tears still streaming down her face as torn muscles repaired themselves, bone solidified, and the last damaged tendons fused into place. Karbunkle's serum had done its work. "Is...is it over?" she asked, her voice breaking in pain.

"I think so," Modo said softly as he gently brushed a bit of hair out of her face as his other hand checked for any bumps on the back of her head. "Does anything else hurt or ache?"

"Everything hurts," she whimpered. "J-just not as bad as before." She opened her eyes, blinking away the remaining tears with visible effort. For all the differences, the drastic changes her body had gone through, this at least was the same. Her deep green eyes looked up at her three bros, blinking against the light.

"Its okay, Charley-girl, we've got you now," Vincent said softly. He used his tail to help lift her up into his arms, holding her as close as he dared to not hurt her. A gasp from Throttle made them all glance down to where his stare was locked.

"W-what is it?" she asked.

"Y-you have a tail," the tan mouse said in shock.

"A tail?" She gasped. The girl tried to move it, but couldn't. She simply had no energy left. Her eyes were falling shut no matter how hard she tried to stay awake. Exhaustion from her physical change and the painkillers she had taken were hitting home, and her body was shutting down to recover. Charley rested her head against Vinnie's chest, his heartbeat sounding very loud in her new ears. "Oh my god..." her breathing slowed and evened in exhausted sleep.

For a moment, there was complete silence in the room. It was a bit much to take in. "Karbunkle turned her into a Mouse?" Vinnie said incredulously, his voice shockingly loud. "A real Mouse? But-why?"

"Now that's something to worry about," Throttle said, slowly getting up from the floor. "But for now, we should get her in bed. Poor girl's dead to the world."

"I'll stay with her," Vinnie said, easily shifting to carry her to her room.

"Good. Let us know the minute she wakes up," the leader said.

"She'll need to eat, and we should probably keep her on an IV until she's recovered. I gotta get some food back in her, look at all the weight she's lost," Modo added. As they moved to get things ready, he couldn't help but glance back at her. "Got to admit, I always thought she was a pretty human, but oh, Momma, she's gorgeous as a Mouse."

Vinnie didn't reply, but his face took on a pensive look as he took Charlene to her room. He tucked her under the covers, the towel still over her body for modesty's sake. Modo had her hooked up to a new IV a few minutes later. Now, all they could do was let her recover and hope that nothing else had been changed by whatever Karbunkle had done to her.

* * *

It only took a few hours for her to wake up, stirring slowly as she sat up in bed, pushing the covers from her too warm body. For a moment, she couldn't think of why she was so hot. Then her tail twitched, scaring the dickens out of her, and she remembered what had happened that morning. She also knew why it was so warm; her new fur was a blanket in and of itself. _No wonder they go without shirts_, she found herself thinking. A gasp from the side of her bed made her turn and see a brilliantly blushing Vincent Van Wham. "Vinnie? What's wrong?"

He slapped a hand over his eyes, scrambling off the side of the bed where he'd been sitting. "N-nothing, babe, just gonna give you some privacy, yeah?"

She frowned at his unexpected behavior, but a sudden breath of cool air over her naked torso made her glance down. The girl gasped, reeling as she remembered all that had happened earlier, yanking the sheets up to cover herself. "Um, yeah, sure, sure, you do that Vin."

"I-I'll go tell Modo and Throttle you're up," he said awkwardly as he backed out of the room. _Say something, man! _"Um, and hey...you wear shag real well, babe."

He had no idea an alarm clock could get that kind of distance. BANG! It shattered into pieces against the wall. "Get out!"

_'You wear shag well?' What the hell were you thinking! Jeez, maybe Throttle's right and there __**is **__a connection missing between my brain and mouth._The white mouse nearly sprinted down the stairs to get his bros. But the sight of her wouldn't leave his mind. Fur that looked so soft, the color of pale cream. That cute nose, her graceful antennae, her long tail that could only accenuate her hips- he agreed with Modo. Charley was a stunningly beautiful Mouse. More beautiful than when she was human. "H-Hey guys, she's awake now," he said, coming to a stop in the kitchen.

Throttle and Modo looked up from their dinner. "Is she feeling okay?" the grey mouse asked, gathering up a tray loaded with food that he'd fixed for her.

"Um, uh, yeah, sh-she's doin' fine, just fine," Vinnie said nervously, his cheeks still red. The image of the beautiful girl would not leave his mind's eye, making his body react in a very male fashion.

Throttle cocked an eyebrow at him. "What's got you so hot and bothered?"

"Hot and bothered-Mother of Mars, bro, she's barely recovered from what Karbunkle did to her," Modo snapped. "Can't you ogle at the poor girl later?"

"I wasn't ogglin' her!"

"You're Vincent Van Wham, of course you ogled her! How do you think she feels right now? Everything about her bein' different from how she was born, even gettin' a new limb! And what if we can't get her turned back to normal? She must be scared outta her mind," Modo said angrily. "Keep your hormones to yourself, Vincent, at least until she's up for sparrin' with ya. You go stirrin' her up and you'll answer to me. Understand?"

"Fine," Vincent snapped. "And thanks for thinking so highly of me. Like I'd take advantage of Charley. Like she'd ever let me take advantage of her! She's got more badass in her little finger than you do in your whole body!"

"Vinnie..." a voice said in soft wonder.


	3. Cracks in the Glass

Oh, dear Vinnie. Open mouth, insert foot.

Chapter 3

The three mice whirled at the sound of her voice from the doorway, where she leaned wearily against the door jam. Her ears drooped in fatigue, and her antennae were almost flat against her head, proof of exhaustion. She wore a dark blue tank top since her fur kept her too warm for anything else, and a pair of black low-rider jeans that sat so low on her hips it was almost indecent. "Do you really think that?" she asked, in surprise.

"W-well, I-ah, um, well you know," Vinnie stammered, unable to stop his bright blush.

She smiled at him. "Thank you, Vinnie."

"Charley-girl, you shouldn't be up," Modo fussed, setting down the tray and moving to her side. "You need to be restin'."

"But I'm fine," she protested, even as he took her arm and gently led her over to sit at the table. "Well, I'm starving, but I'm fine."

"Modo's right, you just went through a lot, Charley," Throttle said as he got her a drink. "Let us take care of things while you recover, okay?"

"Thanks, boys, she smiled. "But I really do feel fine. I gotta ask though, how do you guys walk with these things?" She lifted her tail to eye-level. "I nearly tripped over it twice coming down stairs."

"You have to keep it up around your knees," Vinnie said helpfully. "Try wrapping it around your thigh until you get used to it."

"Good idea," Charley said. "Any other useful hints for me?"

"Mind your ears," Modo answered. "You probably never had to think about it since your regular ears are so small, but now you might get them caught in something. So be careful, alright?"

She blinked at him. "You're right, I never would have thought of that. Until I caught one in a door or something. Thanks, big guy." And with that she leaned up and kissed his cheek. He blushed bright red, muttered something about rewarming her food, and hurriedly turned to take care of that.

Charley giggled and turned to Throttle. "So, any leads on Karbunkle?"

"We haven't had a chance to go lookin' for him, but now that you're feeling better, we can start," he replied.

"You're not sayin' to leave her alone," Vinnie said in alarm. "What if she gets sick again? What if that demented deviant tries to come after her? We'd be too far away to help her"-

"Vinnie, I can take care of myself!" Charley exclaimed.

"Yeah and that worked out so great last time!" he shouted.

Modo and Throttle both winced and took a few steps back to avoid the nuclear fall-out that was sure to come, when they heard a strange and unwelcome sound. A tiny sniff, followed by a hiccuping breath. Charley's green eyes were filling with tears, and a few spilled down to leave trails soaking into her cream-colored fur as her ears laid completely flat against her head.

_So much for him thinking I'm a badass_. She angrily wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. "You don't have to be a jerk about it," she said in a hurt voice. "I know I always have to be rescued, and I know that you guys are getting tired of always having to save me. But I really can take care of myself, dammit, I did just fine before you came along. And if you would recall, I've saved your sorry tail a time or two, so I really don't want to hear it.

"Modo," she looked over to the grey mouse, "I'm sorry you went to so much trouble, but I'm really not hungry anymore." And with that, she slowly got up from the chair and made her way back up to her room.

There was almost total silence for a few seconds before Vinnie groaned and put his head in his hands. "I know, I know big fella," he said through his hands, "you're gonna pound the crap out of me."

"Damn straight," Modo said firmly.

"Man, Vin, do you ever think before you talk?" Throttle asked in some amazement. "That was a record even for you. Since it seems like we can't leave you two alone for a while, Modo, you stay here with Charley while genius and I go scout out for any traces of Karbunkle."

"Will do, bro. Right after," the large mouse cracked the knuckles of his left hand, "Vinnie and I have a nice little chat."

* * *

The sounds of a loud ruckus downstairs just made Charley sigh from the bed. She wiped away the stubborn tears that she couldn't seem to make stop falling. She was never the type to cry at the drop of a hat, so why the waterworks now? A knock at the door made her turn. "Come on in, Throttle."

"How'd you know it was me?" he asked as he opened the door and came in to sit beside her.

"You're the only one that knocks like that," she said, a little hiccup betraying her state of crying.

The tan mouse looked rather awkwardly helpless at the sight of her tears, and frantically started patting down his jacket and pants. Rummaging through his pockets produced a few wadded up tissues that he immediately handed over to her, silently thanking Modo's Mama for teaching her boys to always be prepared for a girl's tears. She took them with a nod of thanks, cleaning herself up. He smiled slightly at that, and then his face went serious. "You know he didn't mean that."

"Yeah, sure he didn't," she said ruefully.

"Charlene." She straightened up a bit at that. He never used her full name unless he was being very serious. "We all know you can fight just fine, and you've proved that more times than I can count. And we do not get tired of rescuing our friend. The reason you get kidnapped at all is because of us, that we brought you into this war. If anything, its our fault that you're always in danger"-

"And I wouldn't have it any other way," she said firmly. "Not only because its the right thing to do, but because you three are my friends. You're more than that, you're my bros. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you guys now that I have you."

He gave her a geniune smile now. "Thanks, Charley. And you know we're gonna fix this, right? We're gonna find Karbunkle and make him pay for hurting you, and then he's gonna fix you back to human."

"Thought of anything to offer him to make him do it?" she asked in mild sarcasm. "He's not exactly the charitable type."

"How about the gift of still being alive?" the tan mouse said. "I hear he's kinda attached that whole living thing."

"Good idea," she said in approval. "But how are you gonna find him?"

"The goon squad's bound to be out at loose ends with the Tower down again. We find them, and at least one of them will know where Karbunkle is. You'll be back to human in no time." He and Vincent left a few minutes later, the white mouse gingerly putting on his helmet over his very bruised head.

Modo knocked on Charley's door. "Hey Charley-girl, is it alright if I come in?"

She came and opened the door, a small smile on her face. "Sure thing, big guy. What can I do for you?"

"Well, gettin' some food in you would be a great thing to do for me," he cajoled. "C'mon, girl, you need to eat. You think I can't see your tail shakin'?"

"Shaking?" She lifted it up to her eye level and to her surprise, it was indeed trembling with fatigue. Her hands weren't in much better shape. "Yeah," she said tiredly, "I see it." He led her over to the bed to sit down, his tail placing the tray of food he'd carried up for her in her lap. She ate as he looked over the jeans she'd scattered about on her bed.

"Were you lookin' for somethin' to fit your tail?" he asked. Normally, she kept her room fairly neat, so this mess was unlike her.

"Yeah, but nothing would fit right," she said, finishing off her third piece of toast with jam. "It hurt to tuck the tail in."

"It would," he said laughingly. "Our tails are a lot more sensitive than you think. Here, pick a couple of jeans and I'll fix them up. I can make a hole for your tail to fit through so you don't have to wear those-those, ah"-

"Hoochie jeans?" she said teasingly. "I know, they're a little low-cut, aren't they? But at least the tail fit over the top."

"Y-yeah, a little low-cut," Modo said blushing. "I'll get right on that"-

A loud knock from downstairs had both Mice up. "Who is it?" Charlene called from the top floor.

"You open?" A voice shouted from outside. "Ms Davidson, I really need my truck back today!"

"Mr. Ronstown? Yes, I'll be right down!" she called. She hurried to put on a work shirt as Modo looked at her incredulously. "And just how are you going to work?" he asked.

"Oh, I have an idea," she said hurriedly. "Go down and get me Vinnie's spare helmet."

To Modo's surprise, her idea worked like a charm. She would tell any customers that asked that Vinnie's helmet was a new prototype she was working on, and that she was testing it out for the day to work out any kinks in comfort or visibility before she would get the work patented. Her tail was kept wrapped around her hips as a belt for her low jeans. The grey mouse was rather stunned that no one questioned her about any of it.

He stayed and helped her work on the jobs that came in, and especially made sure that she ate. He kept giving her several small meals and snacks, mostly glasses of milk with cheese and ham, or turkey club sandwiches. Plates of hotdogs came later in the day, along with baked potatoes, cans of vegetable soup, and even more glasses of milk. They went through two gallons of milk in less than six hours, but she was always hungry for more. Thankfully, that slowed down as evening came, and the poor girl finally started to feel full.

Modo wasn't that worried about her appetite. "Its probably a good thing that you're so hungry. Your body just grew fur, bigger ears, antennae, and a full tail. A whole other limb! You gotta replace all the stuff your body used up to make all the new stuff, and eatin's how you do that." The Martian had also been making sure to give her a dose of multi-vitamins with every sandwich and glass of milk. Fats, proteins, calcium, and even iron were the easiest nutrients for her to get from food; it was all the other trace minerals and vitamins that she desperately needed to regain to keep her body going as it recovered.

The food and vitamins were making a visable difference in her appearance. Her fur shone luxuriously with health, her body loosing that sick, too skinny look as it regained the weight it need to help fill her breasts and hips. Her eyes were bright, the dark circles under her eyes had faded, and she was almost bouncing with energy now. Modo wondered if that was from her gaining a Martian Mouse's metabolism.

* * *

Later that night, a very frustrated Throttle and Vincent returned to the garage. They told the story over dinner. Limburger's men were shockingly easy to find, so Throttle suspected that they were set up for something. The goons were posted a few blocks away around the Last Chance Garage and had been told to report to the doctor when the hybrid 'mutant' started rampaging across the city. Apparently, according to the thugs, she wasn't supposed to turn into a Martian Mouse, but a flesh-eating monster! Charley breathed a sigh of relief that the doctor had screwed that up.

But even though the goons had the means to call Karbunkle, none of them knew where he was. When Throttle and Vincent got a hold of one of their communicators, all they could get out of the gloating scientist was that the girl only had a few days before the DNA combination went unstable. The bonds holding her counterfeit DNA would dissolve, taking the bonds that held her human DNA together with it. She would be dead, and nothing they did could convince the doctor to undo the mutation.

Without holding his life hostage, and without knowing where he was, the mice had no leads, and no choice. They'd have to find the means and get her to the nearest scientists available that could work on Karbunkle's level. They would have to find a way to get Charlene to Mars.


	4. Mirrors Repeat

God bless Biker Mice, and Charley too. Nothing they ever have comes easily.

Chapter 4

"You've got to be kidding me. He turned her into a what?"

"You heard me right, Stoker. A Martian Mouse," Throttle answered into the communicator.

"...Not that I'm complaining, but why the hell would he do that? What's to gain? He doesn't have some kind of microchip implanted in her to try and control her or something?"

"Nope, we checked," Modo said, blushing at the memory of the search. "She's clean. According to Limburger's crew, he was supposed to turn her in to some kind of monster that would destroy the city. Can't imagine how he thought a Mouse could do all that."

Stoker couldn't help his snort of disbelief over the communicator. "Yeah, I can't imagine that either. So, you boys need a pick up for the lady so the boys and girls in lab coats can check her out?"

"As soon as you can," the grey mouse confirmed. "She's only got two and a half days left, so hurry!"

"We'll be there in six hours. I'll have Rimfire pilot the ship again. Nothing makes that kid put the pedal to the metal like rushing off to see his favorite uncle." The older mouse blinked innocently at the worried looks the three mice sent him. "What? Oh, don't worry. He's gotten much better at the whole 'landing' thing. He should actually make it to the ground this time! See you soon, Stoker out."

Throttle shook his head as he got up from the communicator. "You know, I swear he enjoys seeing Charley pitch a fit over property damage."

"But she puts on such a great show! Her cheeks get all red and her eyes are snappin', its awesome! She really is pretty when she's mad. Almost as good looking as me," Vinnie said with a cocky smile.

Modo shot him a look. "Can the bravado, Vincent. As far as I'm concerned, you still owe the lady an apology. Preferably before we get to Mars."

Vinnie immediately lost his grin and looked away, an almost nervous look on his face. "Yeah, I know," he said quietly.

At such pensive silence after that utterance, Modo and Throttle shared looks before splitting up. Throttle was now headed over to the garage to talk to Charley, while Modo would stay and try to get a line on what was going through Vinnie's head. The Mouse and pseudo-Mouse had barely said two words to each other through dinner, and the air between them was awkward and stiff. Normally, the tan and grey mice would leave the two alone to work things out naturally. But something told them that this would be something very serious, that could make or break what the two had together. Succeed or fail, it may very well hang on what Modo and Throttle found out tonight, and it needed to be done now.

* * *

Throttle rolled his bike into the garage, inwardly cursing his luck as he parked and set the kickstand._ Why'd I get stuck with the tough one? "_Hey Charley-girl, you still working?"

She rolled out from under a compact car, glancing around the garage to see if any other humans were around. Not seeing any, she yanked off the helmet and got up, heading toward the doors to lock up for the night. "Yeah, but I'm closing early. If I have to stay one more minute in that helmet, I'll kick it across the garage! How can you stand keeping your antennae cooped up in those things?" She gingerly rubbed the red appendages, wincing at the feel of the now raw skin.

"You just learn to live with it, I guess," he said with a soft chuckle. The tan mouse cleared his throat, really not wanting to start this conversation. "So, how are you doing? With the whole species change, I mean."

She cocked an eyebrow at him as she put away her tools, her tail absent stacking several wrenches and cranks into the appropriate bins as her hands worked on sorting out various bolts and knuts. "Um, as well as can be expected, I guess. Why?"

"Ah, just wondering. I was thinking you might be a little freaked out by everything, or something like that," he said sheepishly. _I don't see how you could not be. Honestly, I'm amazed she's doing as well as she is. I know I'd probably loose it for a solid hour if it had happened to me._

"Well, of course I'm freaked out," she said in exasperation. "I mean, how's a girl supposed to work around here when I've got a helmet stuck on 24/7? This fur is so freaking hot that I've almost soaked my workshirt and jeans through with sweat! And my tail's been twitching non-stop every time I hear a loud or sudden noise. Is this normal? I know I must look like an addict needing a fix right about now!"

_You __are __a little twitchy_. "Its not that bad. Actually, you look like you could use some rest. You know, that stuff you do after being changed to a different life form, a full day of work, and worrying about changing back all day long."

"Har har, Mr Sarcastic," she drawled. "Not that I don't enjoy your company, but you could have called to ask about my state of mind. Why the late night visit? Something on your mind, leader-boy?"

_Leader-boy? She's spending way too much time with Carbine_. "Two things. One, we've got our ride to Mars."

"Stoker and Rimfire?" she asked in some excitement.

"Yeah, the dynamic duo will be here shortly," he said with a grin. "Nobody can keep that kid away from the Stalker ship."

"What's not to love about being a space pilot?" she said mischievously. "The pay might not be good but the scenery changes and they not only let him shoot giant guns and cause explosions, they expect him too!"

Throttle laughed outloud at that. "True, true. That's exactly why I got my pilot's license."

"Very cool," she said in approval. "So, what was the second thing you came for?"

His smile fell. Crunch time. "I was just wondering about what happens when we get to Mars. I mean, if something goes wrong and they can't turn you back to normal, would you be okay with that? Being a Mouse for the rest of your life?"

She gave the tan mouse a long look. "Honestly? I don't know. I've been thinking about it, all day. I-I'd have to move to Mars, wouldn't I?" She stopped him before he could say anything, "Of course I would, I know, can't stay on Earth with the new look. But I'd have to stay, you know that right?"

Throttle wasn't sure he'd caught her meaning. "I don't think I follow you."

"I mean, someone has to stay and fight for Earth with you guys, right? Who else would go shopping for you guys, because none of you know how to balance a checkbook, and who would help with the wiring at the Scoreboard, and"-

_Mother of Mars, she's babbling, _he thought in dawning horror. _Oh gods no, she's about to_-

Tears began to streak their way down her face, -"getting presents for Manuelo's little girls, their birthday party is coming up soon and-and-(sob)-Throttle, I-I-"

He winced, wishing he was anywhere but there at the sight of such a strong woman in tears. But he bit the bullet and pulled her close, crooning under his breath to soothe her. "It'll be okay, Charley, you'll see," he said. "Calm down, don't cry, its okay. It's gonna be okay."

"You-(hiccup)-you really think so?" she asked, almost instantly berating herself for acting like a little kid. She pulled back from him, blushing in embarrassment as she fought to get back under control. "S-sorry, Throttle."

"Don't worry about it," he said, finding a tissue much quicker than last time and handing it to her. "I'd be worried if you _weren't _all emotional. Feel better now?"

"Yeah," she said, sitting back against her tool bench. She drew in a shaky breath. "I think, if I have to stay a Mouse, I think I'd be okay with that. As long as you give me time to get used to it, yeah?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Nobody can ask you to switch species just like that and be fine from the get-go, Charley-girl."

"Thanks," Throttle, she said with a watery smile. "But you know I can't abandon Earth, right?"

"Of course," he said, shocked. "Who said you had to?"

"Its just that I have to stay until the Plutarkians are gone," she clarified. "I can still help you guys beat them, even if I can't do some of the things I would if I was still human. I won't stay on Mars while my home is in danger, Throttle, I can't."

"I know," he said. "And I agree. No one can make you leave or stay, that's still always your call."

"Okay then," she said. "And Throttle?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you really think I spend too much time with Carbine?"

"Huh?"

She shot him a mock-annoyed look. "Earlier, when I called you 'leader-boy', you said that I'm spending too much time with Carbine, remember?"

The tan mouse frowned as he thought back. "Charley, I didn't say that outloud. Did I?"

The mechanic shrugged. "You must have."

He glanced to the top of her head, where brand-new antennae had formed. An awful suspicion began to nag at him, and he decided to test out the thought. Literally. With a bit of effort that made his antennae glow a very faint yellow, he sent out a thought. _Sorry to go off topic, but what do you think about the Nubs' chances this year for the pennant?_

Charley blinked in surprise. "Baseball? You want to talk about baseball now? Oh-kay. Um, I think if they can get someone with an actual decent batting average, we might just have a chance. After they change the outfeilding line-up, of course-"

"Charley?" Throttle said in slowly dawning horror. "I didn't say that outloud."

"What, about the Nubs? But Throttle, I heard you-"

He used his tail to lift up her chin so that she could clearly see his face and mouth not moving, his antennae still glowing faintly as he thought, _Charley, I'm not saying anything that you can hear with your ears._

She blinked in shock. "Your mouth's not...but I can hear...what is going on?"

"You can hear me," the Martian said in absolute surprise. "You can hear my thoughts. Without consciously using your antennae."

Charley summed up both their thoughts rather well. "...uh-oh."


	5. Repairing the Glass

Vulcans have nothing on Martian Mind Melds...

Credit for this chapter's rewrite goes to Cutegenius for her helpful review that helped to redo this chapter and actually inspired the entire story's overhaul. Who says leaving reviews doesn't make an author pay attention?

Chapter 5

Throttle was amazed to find that Charlene was capable to telepathy without touching. Granted, this wasn't without precedent. This was a quirk of Martian antennae that usually only showed in very young children. It was considered an evolutionary trait that allowed children to tell if they were in danger, or to alert the parents to their needs. Normally, one of the parents of a Mouse would use their own antennae to teach a child how to turn the ability off by sheilding their thoughts. The parents would use their own mind abilities to make mental sheilds for the child to practice building until they could to it on their own.

To Throttle's knowledge, it had never happened in someone as old as Charlene. But in a way, it made sense; after all, as a Mouse, she was less than three days old.

That Charley was so telepathically sensitive as to pick up his thoughts without touching him or using her antennae could turn out to be a mixed blessing. Good in that it could allow her a huge boost in intuitive thinking, as she could almost predict what her possible opponents would do before they did it. And very very bad in that she couldn't pick and choose what to hear because she couldn't turn it off. She could go insane from the constant barrage of thoughts and images she'd be able to hear on Mars if she didn't get some form of shielding.

Throttle had been shocked at her development and was deeply worried for her. Modo couldn't help without more of his clan present, as he wasn't very gifted in touch-telepathy, and Vincent was the same way. Throttle had almost the opposite problem. His touch-telepathy was so acute that if he tried to mind-walk with her as she was now, tried to share some of his psychic shielding, it could result in a melding of minds. And not in the good way. They wouldn't be able to get their thoughts, memories, or personalities apart, and it would result in the ultimate split personality.

The three mice had tried to be extra careful with how they acted around her until the ship came. And that had been the reason for the rift between Charley and Vinnie. Vincent, being his typical 'not listening to rules' self, had let slip a thought that had apparently hurt the girl beyond reason. She wouldn't tell the others what it was, and Vinnie wasn't talking either. Neither had spoken to each other since. Modo was still willing to stomp the white mouse into the ground for making Charley cry again.

Throttle had thanked the gods profusely when their ride had finally showed up. Rimfire and Stoker had landed in the Quigly feild this time, with a nearly perfect landing that had Rimfire doing a victory dance that had lasted a good six minutes. The bikers and Charley had laughed long and loud over that little display, and Stoker finally had to smack the kid upside his head to make it stop.

On the first sight of the new Charley, Rimfire immediately froze in place and blushed bright red. His reaction was easy to understand. Rimfire, Stoker, and the Bros had always noticed how attractive she was as a human. Human or Mouse, their bodies were essentially the same, and with Martians exploring space, they had grown an appreciation for many differant races' standards of beauty. Charley had curves in all the right places and her green eyes were rather exotic to them since it wasn't a color found in Mice, Rats, or Sand Raiders. But now that their human friend had features closer to home...

Charlene was gorgeous as a mouse- her fur being freshly grown was silky-soft, her hair was thick and shone with health. Not having seen years of sweat, strife, and war, her body was not only scar-free but also nearly perfect in form. Unlike the rest of the female Martian population (of any species), her body hadn't been hardened or over-muscled from intense fighting to stay alive, nor was it overly scrawny due to malnutrition from lack of resources. Charley as a human had a well-toned but not muscle-builder type body, with the right amount of noticiable feminine curves. She actually fit the ideal body image of female Martian Mice before the years of war, something no male had seen in many years; a healthy, un-tarnished and well-nurtured female. Throw in that pair of hootchi jeans that was making poor Modo blush, and a classicaly beautiful face, and the young lady was the Martian equivalent of a Victoria's Secret super-model.

Poor Rimfire never stood a chance. He stammered, "W-w-whoa. Miss Ch-Charley? Is that r-really you?"

"Sure is," she said teasingly at his blush, absently rubbing the back of her head to ease the headache that was steadily growing at the efforts to block out the two other mice's thoughts as well as her bros'. "You like the new look?"

"Oh yes, ma'am," he said appreciatively, a very goofy-looking grin on his face.

A long, low wolf-whistle sounded out as Stoker came over to greet her. And she deserved the whistle. That girl was going to turn heads everywhere on Mars, be they Mouse, Raider, or Rat. The dark-furred Mouse grinned as he lifted up her hand in a traditional bow and lightly kissed her knuckles. "Amen gods, for letting me see this vision of beauty. Charley-darlin', you wear Martian very well."

She blushed to the tips of her ears at the older mouse's heated look, his potent charm still highly effective even at his age. "Stoker, you dirty old Mouse," she murmured softly, smiling.

"Wha-I said the same thing and she threw a clock at me, he says it and gets a blush! So not fair," Vinnie grumbled. At Charley's acidic look, he subsided. Stoker exchanged questioning looks with his younger bros at the surprising hostility between the two, but got no answer. The older Mouse shrugged, then used his metal tail to take her bag as he offered her his arm. The mechanic found a smile for him as he escorted her into the ship. The bros loaded the bikes into the ship along with some supplies for Mars and their few personal things and were headed for the Red Planet in minutes.

Charley had almost immediately locked herself in one of the bunk rooms and tried to block out the thoughts she could feel pounding against her mind, worrying all five Mice. Throttle had explained Charley's unique problem to Stoker, asking if he knew anyone that could help her back on Mars. Stoker replied that he could try to help her with that. He had enough skill, but not too much sensitivity, to successfully imprint on her the mental help she needed. The older mouse then offered to make her a part of his clan; to use the psychic shields his clan's members had collectively created over thousands of years and imprint it on her own psyche to protect her.

The poor girl had nearly dove on Stoker, she was so eager to get started. All three bikers had then cautioned her that clan imprinting was the same as adoption, and was permanent. Once she was under Stoker's protection, she would always be so (even if she was returned to being human that very day), and her actions would reflect on him the same as if they were his own. They would be family, forever. Charlene had been shocked and extremely honored at the offer, and had accepted with gratitude and joy. After all, its not everyday you get adopted.

Stoker had taken her aside and in less than thirty minutes, it was done. He was later heard to quietly say that he had never had so quick a learner in his clan; she had learned how to form sheilds and barriers better and stronger than his own in less time than it had ever taken anyone before.

One major problem was solved, but several more were left.

* * *

Throttle and Modo sat back in the ship's rest quarters as they headed to Mars, talking with Stoker about what had been going on. Charley was up front with Rimfire, going over the controls of the ship with delight as he taught her the basics of spaceship steering. The young mouse figured she'd be flying on her own in less than twenty minutes. Vincent claimed he was going to go over his beloved bike, maybe check out the engine, but his bros knew the truth. He was avoiding, or more accurately, _hiding _from Charley in the storage bay. He hadn't been able to even so much as look at her since they'd boarded the ship.

Modo was all for whipping the white mouse's tail black and blue, and Throttle wasn't far from agreeing with him. Stoker told both mice to hold off on it for now, as he wanted to talk to the lady later on and see what she thought about all this. Honestly, it was a giant can of worms all around.

Thankfully, Mars was only a few hours away, and the answers could be found there. They hoped.


	6. Seven Years Bad Luck

To everyone that reads about our beloved Biker Mice, thank you for keeping our fandom alive! You all kick ass!

Chapter 6

Carbine was there to greet them at the ship's hanger along with two of the base's best scientists. At the shocked murmurings of the pilot's radar tower, they glanced skyward. The Stalker ship was gliding in as smooth as a baby's fur. All three Mice gaped at the perfect landing as the deep red ship's landing gear touched down with a soft thump, the hanger's disguised bay doors sliding shut. "Wow, Stoker's really been working with that kid, hasn't he?" Dr Nikil, a bio-chemist, said to the general.

"Apparently," Carbine said in surprise. She smiled as the ramp came down and the Biker Mice came out, wheeling their bikes beside them. "Modo, Vincent...Throttle."

The tan Martian nodded respectfully, "General." He suddenly broke into a genuine smile. "Hey there, pretty girl."

Carbine tried to ignore her blush as she ran up the ramp into his arms. The two Mice kissed, Throttle's fingers running through his lover's black hair. For a whole minute they just held each other, reconfirming that they were really together. The other engineers and pilots that manned the hanger wolf-whistled and called joking comments as they moved to put away the ship. Modo looked away to give his friends privacy as they started to kiss, and he just barely caught the envious look on Vinnie's face before the white Mouse turned too. He noted that to bring up later as Stoker and Rimfire skirted around the lovebirds and helped Charley down the ramp. Her tail was still giving her some trouble.

A soft whistle was heard from a short grey male Martian with a dark brown mane, blue slacks, a black shirt, and a white doctor's coat. Dr. Circuit shook his head in amazement. "Is she the one? Gods above, to think she started out human. She's positively lovely." He looked over at Throttle and Carbine, who were being gently teased by Charley and Stoker. "Commander, you have the samples of the lady's original DNA?"

Throttle nodded, straightening his stance and moving slightly away from his lover, their tails still entwined. "Yeah, we've got her hairbrush and some of her blood. Will that be enough?"

"That should do fine," Dr Nikil said softly as she took the samples. The white mouse had similar coloring to Charley, but with more red to her mane and was about eight inches taller, with jeans and a buttoned-up lab smock. "Miss Charley, if you'll come with us? We can go ahead and get the tests finished so you can get settled in shortly."

Charley nodded and went to follow her, with Stoker not two steps behind. Carbine frowned in confusion at that, and sent an arched eyebrow to Throttle. "Something I need to know about with them? Because as much as I like her, if she's planning on becoming my new aunt, we're going to have words."

Throttle blinked in shock, then burst out laughing. "No! Oh cheeze, no, Carbine, nothing like that. See, when Charley got her DNA scrambled and became a Mouse, she grew antennae, like you saw. But since she never needed anyone to protect her mind before, when her antennae started working they started letting her hear the thoughts of everyone around her. I tested her myself and she could hear me like I was saying it outloud."

"That's incredible! I've never heard of anyone with telepathy so strong that they didn't need to be touching to use it," Carbine said in surprise.

"Yeah, and Charley couldn't turn it off," Throttle went on. "I couldn't sheild her, and neither could the bros, so when Stoker found out, he tried to help and offered to take her in under his clan's mental protection. It worked like a charm, and she'd doing a lot better now."

The general's eyes went wide in shock. As Stoker's niece, she knew what his actions meant, and what that meant to her. It meant that-"I have a new cousin! This is great! And even better since its Charley. We're friends already, and she's a brilliant mechanic and a great fighter to boot. I always thought that once things clear up on Earth she'd be coming back here with all of you even if she isn't still a Mouse"-

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," Modo groused as he watched Vinnie hurry off to the barracks. "Vinnie's really been sticking his foot in it lately. If it gets any worse, I'm pretty sure she'll break it off with him."

Carbine's gaze followed Vinnie as he walked away. "You guys already talked to him?"

"You bet, and we still can't figure out what's going on in his head," Throttle said.

"Hmm. Maybe this just needs a woman's touch," Carbine said softly. "You guys get settled in and go find Charley. I'll go talk to the wild man."

* * *

It didn't take long to find him. Vincent had already stored his bike at the base's garage to recharge the laser cannons and unpacked his things at the barracks. He was now at the base's only bar, nursing a Venusian Darag whiskey that could have knocked Modo out. He looked absolutely miserable, with a dragging tail and his ears almost flat against his head. Carbine arched a brow at his appearance. "Hey, Snowball."

His tail twitched. "For the last time, _Barbie-Carbie_, do not call me that."

Her eyebrow twitched. "And speaking of nicknames, I'd like to remind you that I have a lot more grenades than you do flares, and I have no problem sticking one of them where the sun don't shine."

"You're a real sweetheart, you know that?" Vinnie groused, taking a cautious sip of his drink.

She shook her head at him, sitting on a stool beside him and motioning for the bartender to get her usual drink. "So I hear there's trouble in paradise."

"Wow, news travels so fast," Vinnie said in mock awe. "Yeah, things aren't so hot. Thanks again to my mouth. And I didn't even say it out loud! Its not my fault she could hear what I was thinking!"

"And what did she hear?" Carbine asked as she took a sip of her drink.

Vincent shot her a look. "Throttle and Modo put you up to this?"

"No, my genuine concern for my friend and new cousin brought this on. So what did you say? Or think?"

He sighed, gulping down the last of his drink in one go. "I was thinking that I really like how she looks now. Like, really like it. I mean, she was hot as a human, but now she's just smokin', and-well, I-"

Carbine's eyes went wide as the younger Mouse began to stammer. "Oh gods above and below, tell me you didn't think that you don't want her to change back because she wouldn't be as pretty. Or even worse, that you wouldn't like her as much as you do now because she wouldn't be a Mouse."

He couldn't say anything. What could he say? That wasn't what happened at all! And yet...

_Flashback_

She had been packing her bag when he'd come into her room. He smiled nervously. "Hey, Charley-girl."

"Hey, Vin." She kept calmly packing up her shirts and a few pairs of jeans.

He cleared his throat. "Um, so I was wondering, you know, you and me, we're...we're good, right? You and me together?"

Charley's eyebrow quirked up as she turned to look at him. "Us? Yeah, we're good."

He shook his head in frustration. Why was he no good with mushy stuff and words? "That's not what I mean, I mean, you and me. Together. We'd be good like that, right? Would..." he blushed a bit now, his voice going softer, "would you like that? For us to be together?"

Charley barely dared to breathe. Was he asking what she thought he was? "You mean, like, dating?"

Vinnie nodded, his ears high and tensed, the tip of his tail twitiching in anticipation.

The human turned Martian Mouse smiled happily, her ears perking up and her tail swinging in low arcs. "You mean it? You really want to go out with me?"

At her smile, his confidence returned with a vengence. "Absolutely, sweetheart!"

She smiled, walked over, cupped his face in her hands, and kissed him. It was very different to kiss someone when she had a muzzle, but it worked. Oooh, lord, did it work. Her body shivered in pleasure as he deepened the kiss, his muscled arms wrapping around her waist, his tail coiling with hers. With great reluctance, he pulled back. "J-just so I'm clear, this means you're my girl, right?"

She laughed. "Yes, Vin. And it means you're my man."

"This is perfect! I'll have the most gorgeous babe on Mars on my arm, Stoker is going to be so jealous. Hell, everyone is going to be jealous! The most beautiful girl and the hottest stud getting together, heheh, I bet we inspire some wild fantasies when we get there-"

Charley blinked at his enthusiasm, and then an ugly thought hit. She tried to shake it off, but it wouldn't leave her. She figured that asking him would clear it up, and said, "Wait. Wait a minute, Vin, let me ask you something."

"What is it?"

"I thought, well, I mean, you never tried to ask me out before. What changed your mind?"

He blinked in surprise. "What do you mean, what changed my mind? Charley, you're all I've ever wanted. You're beautiful!"

She gave him a small smile, and tried to make a joke out of her question. "Thanks handsome, but really, is that all that matters?"

"What? I-I don't understand."

Charley frowned a bit, worry growing in her voice and all joking gone. "Is my appearance all that matters to you?"

He stammered, "B-uh, um, I-" but his thoughts were clearer. _But I don't get it! What...what else is there?_

The girl's sensitivity to thoughts let her hear his perfectly. Her aqua eyes filled with tears.

_End Flashback_

He hadn't said that he only wanted her because she was a Mouse. But saying that he'd wanted her just for her beauty would be even worse! Wouldn't it? Vincent said nothing to reply to the general.

It took serious effort for Carbine to not reach for her laser to shoot him, so she settled for stomping the end of his tail. Hard. "YEEEOOOOWW!"

"YOU IDIOT!" she screamed. "Are you really that _shallow_? ! Are you really so selfish and petty that you'd throw away a smart, wonderful girl that can actually put up with you because she might turn back into her original species? !" Carbine looked at his hunched posture, his shamed flush, and how his ears and tail sunk impossibly lower. "Merciful gods, I thought better of you than that! And here I had some respect for you, Vincent Van Wham. But not any more. And maybe never again." She stalked out of the bar.

Not even ten minutes later, a furious Throttle and Modo stomped into the bar. The bartender had already hidden all the good liquor and put the breakables away after hearing the General talk to the white mouse like that. Seems like it was a good idea as the fur and fists began to fly.


	7. The Frame Falls Down

Shout-outs this chapter to Shades24, who's contributions to the Biker fictions have made me smile, laugh, and bawl like a two year old that just lost their teddy bear. Check out everything, you'll thank me later! 'Brief Encounters' for a slightly spicy look at how things between the trio might change sometime. 'Grow Old With Me'...pack the damn tissues, you. will. cry. In a good way! Sad but good. Anyway!

Thanks to everyone that keeps me going, and to everyone that reads and reviews. You all are responsible for me updating at all. And to everyone that caught the Swan Princess reference in the last chapter...

I couldn't help it! I just had to finish the scene!

Chapter 7

It took a good 15 minutes of brawling and another 10 of shouting at him for Modo and Throttle to catch on to the fact that Vincent wasn't trying to defend himself. Oh he'd given as good as he got in the fight, but now that things were calmer, he wasn't trying to justify his actions or spin them in his favor. He wasn't fighting back: he was barely speaking at all. It was so out of character for him that Throttle finally called off Modo's rant about how Vinnie had just screwed up the best thing that had ever happened to him, and he sat the younger Martian down at a table.

There was a long, uncomfortable silence. The older Mice couldn't help but feel a small bit of pity for what Vincent had lost. It helped that he looked positively miserable.

Modo just shook his head, breaking the quiet as he said, "I didn't believe it when Miss Carbine said it, but...Vinnie, was what she said true? You don't want Charley to be human again?"

"I never said that to her!" Vincent protested. "Not to Carbine or Charley!"

"Well it sure sounded like it from her angle," Throttle said with a frown.

"That's not what happened at all! I just-I mean...Aw, man," the younger mouse groaned. He told his bros exactly what had happened, not exaggerating a bit, in the hopes that his bros could help him fix it.

Their reactions didn't exactly inspire confidence.

Throttle gaped at his younger bro. "You...you said what?"

"I didn't say it at all! she caught me thinking it!"

"What else is there?" Modo said in utter disbelief. "What else is there? She asks, 'is beauty all that matters to you?' and you say, 'what else is there?'!"

"It was dumb, I know!"

"Dumb is an understatement," Modo said with a roll of his eye.

"You should write a book," Throttle said sarcasticly. "'How to Offend Women in Five Syllables or Less'."

The grey Mouse frowned in thought. "You-Vin, you don't really believe that, do you? Modo asked.

"Huh?"

Throttle shook his head. "Bro, you don't really think that the only good thing about Charley is that she's pretty, right?"

"Of course not!" Vincent said indignantly. "Her bein' hot is just icing on the cake! I mean there's..." he trailed off, a goofy smile on his face, "and then..." another goofy grin, "and what about...well, you guys know what I mean, right?"

Throttle and Modo exchanged looks. "Sure, sure bro, we get ya. But Charley doesn't know about that. She doesn't speak Vinnie-ese," Throttle said.

"Hate to say it, man, but I think you better go tell her," Modo said, looking uncomfortable.

"Awww, man," Vincent groaned.

* * *

_Meanwhile, at the main base, the medical wards..._

Charley stretched tiredly as she got up from the doctor's examination table in the small office by the base's medical ward. "So what's the word, doc?"

Dr. Sircuit frowned. "So far, the test results are fine. You're a perfectly healthy Martian Mouse."

"Well that's good," Carbine said from the side of the room. She walked over and sat beside Charley, who took her hand.

"If the prognosis is so cheery, why the long face, doc?" Stoker asked from where he stood by the door.

The doctor sighed quietly. "From what we can tell, the serum used to cause these changes was based off a deliberately unstable matrix of hormones and chemicals. It was intended to dissolve the chemicals bonds of the triphase-"

Carbine arced an eyebrow in confusion as she blurted out, "What?"

"Karbunkle made the serum so that the changes wouldn't be permanent," Dr. Sircuit clarified. "Mostly because the DNA would go unstable in a relatively short amount of time. As the days pass, Miss Charlene's DNA is going to start to break down. The chemical bonds that hold her DNA together will slowly dissolve, and her cells won't be able to function." He gave an apologetic look to the girl. "I'm sorry, but you don't have much time. Within the next 36 hours, the process will be too far along for us to stop."

Carbine softly gasped, and Charley bit her lip in worry. Stoker immediately walked over to her side, putting an arm around her shoulders as the girl went pale under her fur. "Isn't there something we can do?" he asked.

The doctor nodded reluctantly. "There is some hope. Since we have samples of your original DNA, we can use these to make a stablizing formula that can halt the break-down and save your life. Unfortunately, there's no guarantee that we can tweak it so that you turn back into a human. The most likely outcome would be that you would become a hybrid, but leaning a lot more towards a Mouse's form. I would say the split would be something like 75% Mouse, the rest human."

"I could live with that," Charley said softly, leaning her head against Stoker's side and squeezing Carbine's hand. And she could. A few modifications to that blasted helmet, and she could still work on Earth. She just wouldn't be able to take off her helmet in public ever...again...good lord, she suddenly sympathised with her boys' urges to blow stuff up a lot more. Just the thought of being stuck in that stuffy thing for the rest of her time on Earth was enough to make her mad enough to do something extreme.

The general frowned at the doctor. "If there's a solution, why aren't you using it on her right now?"

The older Mouse sighed. "I'm afraid that we don't have all the chemicals nesesary to make the serum."

"What?" the trio said in surprise.

"We need some of the original serum he used to change her," Dr. Sircuit replied. "Much like making an anti-venin, you can't create it without some of the venom you're trying to cure. Without Karbunkle's serum, we have no way to finish the formula."

"Then we send the bros back to Earth to get it," Stoker said. "No big deal."

"There's not enough time," Charley said in somber realization, her hair falling forward and hiding her eyes. "Am I right?"

The healer nodded. "I'm afraid not. A trip to Earth and back, plus the time to get the serum somehow, would be much longer than the 36 hours you have left. I'm sorry, but unless we get that serum on time, there's nothing we can do now." He gathered up the few papers he had and went for the door. "My condolances," he said softly, then left the room.

Carbine and Stoker held onto Charley as she leaned against them for support. Carbine was thinking frantically: she'd just got Charley as a cousin, she wasn't about to loose her now! "We'll think of something, you'll see. Don't give up hope, Charley!"

Charlene sniffed hard, trying very hard not to cry. They heard her pull in a shaky breath as she said, "I know, we always make it in the end. But you guys might want to hide all the fragile breakables. They're not gonna take this well."

There was no need to ask who 'they' were. Stoker shook his head. "No. No, they're not."

* * *

She was right.

They didn't take it well, at all.

Carbine took Charley out to get something to eat, while Stoker had agreed to stay and break the news to the Bikers. He wasn't looking forward to this. Those boys loved their human friend, and he was sure that Vincent loved her more than that despite what had been going on lately. He put out the call for them to come as soon as they could.

A somewhat battered trio had returned to their bunks at the base's barracks when they were called on their communicators to come to the doctor's office. They cleaned up and headed over, eager to hear news about Charley's condition. But the news was nothing they wanted to hear.

Stoker did his best to break the news to them gently, but nothing could really sugar-coat the fact that their friend would being dying in less than two days. Modo's eye welled up with tears, and Throttle blanched in horror, leaning against the wall in shock. Vinnie took it the worst of all, collapsing into a chair with his mouth agape, his tail twisting and his ears and antennae drooped. He tried to speak, but his throat kept closing up over the words he wanted to say. This couldnt' be real, this couldnt' be happening! She couldn't be dying; they couldnt' loose her!

He couldn't let the last things he'd ever said to her be what he'd said to her!

A very distressed Throttle was the first to speak after Stoker broke the news. "No...no way, coach, it can't be. We have to do something!"

"There has to be something we can do," Modo pleaded.

The older Mouse shook his head. "I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do without running out of time."

Throttle was thinking quickly. "What if we could buy some time? All we have to do is get the serum, right?"

"But we'd never make it to Earth and back in time, not with all the running around we'd have to do to find Karbunkle," Vinnie said, his ears drooping in despair. "We couldn't even find him the last time we looked!"

"What if we could slow down the break-down?" Throttle asked. "Could we do something like that?"

Stoker blinked. "What do you mean?"

Modo suddenly lit up. "Yeah! I saw something like that on Law and Order!"

"Huh?" Stoker frowned in confusion.

"Human tv show, its his favorite," Throttle explained.

Modo went on, "There was a case where a guy had been drugging his wife's father into something called an induced coma. A coma's something like shutting down the body, but not killing it, like its asleep, right? Well, he was planning on killing the guy later, but they caught him in time, but anyway, what if we could do something like that? Put Charley in a coma to slow down her system enough to buy us some more time to get the serum, would that work?"

Stoker stared at him. "Modo, that's the most brilliant idea you've ever had. I'll need to run that by the docs, if it works, then you boys had better get packed. You'll be heading for Earth for the fastest mission of your lives."


End file.
